Biography of Aristotle (384 B.C.—322 B.C.)

Biography of Aristotle (384 B.C.-322 B.C.). After reading this article you will learn about: 1. Life History of Aristotle 2. Aristotle’s views on Education 3. Basic Principles of Education 4. Scheme of Education 5. Evaluation.

Contents:

Essay on the Life History of Aristotle

Essay on Aristotle’s views on Education

Essay on Aristotle’s Basic Principles of Education

Essay on Aristotle’s Scheme of Education

Essay on the Evaluation Theory of Education

Essay # 1. Life History of Aristotle:

A great political philosopher, popularly known as father of political science, a genius, an influential disciple of Plato, a radicalist, a champion of inductive, analytical, scientific and teleological method, a great writer on mammoth works; politics-a treatise on the art of government, “On monarchy”, “On philosophy”, “On colonies”, a master mind, Aristotle was born at Stagira, a Greek Colony situated on the eastern coast of the Peninsula of Chalcidice in Thrace in 384 B.C.

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His contribution is significant not only to Political Science but also to the field of education. He died in 322 B.C. in Chalcis in Euboea.

Among the works of Aristotle, ‘The Politics’ stands unique and superb. Aristotle’s Politics is not only a treatise on Political Science but on education also. Aristotle visualized an ideal state, the success of which is not to be weighed by its efficient administration, but by the sort of character it makes among its citizens.

Education acts as a potent agency to instill perennial qualities of mobility, generosity, discipline and a high moral character.

It is only through this medium that the triumph of the forces of goodness, beauty and justice can be secured over the forces of evil, ignorance and injustice. He has given a wide space to education in his Book VII and VIII of the “politics”.

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Since education was the first and foremost necessity for an ideal state, his education was designed to cultivate moral, physical and intellectual excellence in its citizens to perform a host of civic functions.

Education makes them not only physically and mentally fit but also turn them into virtuous. One of the main functions of the state is the education of the citizen in virtue and not merely to restrain him from vice. Therefore, Aristotle wanted state-controlled and state-directed system of education to educate the citizens in the laws and constitution of the state.

The educational system is designed to make good citizens, brave soldiers and efficient administrators for the smooth sailing of the vessel of the government. Since the ideal state aims at achieving supreme good of the citizens, it is, thus, a necessity to educate them in a proper manner.

He, like Plato, insisted that the state should control and organise education, for the aim of education was to instruct the young in the spirit of the constitution of the state.

The education should not only be public but identical for all citizens. However, he confined his public, compulsory and uniform type of education to the citizens only, thus paved the way for creating a chasm between the citizen and non-citizen bodies in the state.

Essay # 2. Aristotle’s views on Education:

According to Aristotle, education means “the creation of a sound body in a sound mind.” He emphasized both body and mind to be developed fully and a sound body is meaningless without a sound mind, for sound body resides in sound mind.

He outlined the following purposes of education:

Aristotle’s Purposes of Education:

(i) Since the aim of a good state is to create the best type of polity, the purpose of education, therefore, should be to produce the best type of citizens. The citizen should be moulded to suit the form of government under which he lives.

A citizen, according to him, is one who knows how to rule and be ruled and one who actively participates in the affairs of the state. It is the business of education to prepare a good ruler and an obedient and loyal subject. Therefore, the purpose of education is also to provide training in the art of citizenship.

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(ii) Secondly, besides the above political purpose, education has also a social purpose. Man is a social animal and social instinct is implanted in all men, by nature. The state provides him with a system of education which helps its citizens in the fulfillment of their social and political nature.

Education makes him socialised by developing rationality which enables the individual to differentiate between right and wrong, justice and injustice.

(iii) Thirdly, the purpose of education in an ideal state is to make the life of citizens virtuous and happy. Education must teach man the virtue of the golden mean so that he may avoid the extreme doctrines and extreme practices, may learn what is toleration and friendship, may practice the principle of compromise and fellowship and above all may while holding his private property, share its enjoyment with others of his kind.”

(iv) Fourthly, again, the purpose of education is the establishment of peace and the enjoyment of leisure. Its aim is not the acquisition of aggressive military virtue as was practiced by the Lacedaemonians. He does not recommend that men should study war with a view to the enslavement of those who don’t deserve to be enslaved.

He suggests that legislators should direct all his military and other measures to the provision of leisure and the establishment of peace.

He says the end of individuals and that of state is same. In both, there exists the virtue of leisure which demands a good deal of supply of necessaries of life and after such a supply, it is essential to create intellectual virtue among citizens which can be possible only through the instrument of education. It is only through it that they can make the fullest use and enjoyment of their leisure.

Education, thus, serves manifold purposes. It makes him a noble, virtuous and ideal citizen to establish an ideal common wealth in which unity is maintained in-spite of a great diversity. It initiates him into the periphery of constitution which teaches him to be a law-abiding citizen.

It is a process of training in habit and character which helps him to secure the supremacy of reason, the presence of which leads him ultimately to the attainment of that highest goal of human existence which is the rational self-determination.

Essay # 3. Aristotle’s Basic Principles of Education:

Aristotle considered nature, habit and reason as the three cardinal things to make a man good and virtuous. Besides, these are pre-requisites for the harmonious development of personality. Education is the only means for the realization of this end.

As to the fundamental question of whether body is prior to soul or vice-versa, Aristotle argues that since body is prior in order of generation to the soul, and irrational is prior to the rational, therefore the education of the body must precede that of the soul.

The irrational side of human personality is represented by anger, will, desire and appetite which are implanted in children from their birth and the rational side of life is represented by reason which develops with age and experience. Therefore, in the logical scheme of education, the training of the appetite part must always precede the training of the soul.

Like Plato, his theory of education is also grounded in psychology. According to him, no theory of education is worth the name if it does not rest on a psychological basis. Education must include three stages of mental development-natural disposition, habitual temperament and rational self-determination stages.

The first stage has not captured the attention of education as it represents the period when the child is not yet born.

The second stage is the age of youth when habits are formed and the youth is swept by a torrent of desires and passions. Education should be so adjusted that the youth may have the opportunities to develop their proper habits and they may allow themselves to be dominated by rational desires only.

This will help them in the realization of rational self-determination in later life. When they are able to realize this, they can shoulder the responsibilities of life and citizenships. Education aims at preparing them to rationalise their habits and facilitating the supremacy of reason over irrational habits and desires. This is the true- nature of education at the third stage of mental development.

Essay # 4. Aristotle’s Scheme of Education:

Aristotle has divided his spectrum of education into three parts-the cradle stage, the primary stage and the Secondary Stage.

(i) The Cradle Stage:

It covers the education of first seven years in which children are to be properly fed and given proper muscular exercises in order to keep them always healthy and free from all kinds of diseases. He considered exercises, not hard exercises, are necessary to preserve their tender limbs from distortions and check their stunted growth.

To prevent their limbs from being inactive, they should be provided with some sort of amusement or music which should not be vulgar or riotous.

The Director of Education should be very careful to see that no vulgar tales or stories are presented to them. Besides, Aristotle says that children should be prevented from using or listening to any indecent speech because the light utterance of shameful words is akin to shameful actions.

Along with indecent speeches, indecent pictures should also be banished. Children are required to remain at home in the first seven years of infancy education. Up to the age of five, they should not learn but only play. During the two following years, they should be made to learn by doing things instead of reasoning about them.

(ii) The primary Stage:

It covers a period of 7 years education which lasts from 7 to 14 years. Since body comes before the mind, Aristotle favoured light gymnastics exercises for achieving beauty, grace and symmetry of body and infusing courage among the boys. He mentioned reading, writing and drawing as essential for the manifold purposes of life in a variety of ways.

He writes, “Reading and writing are useful, because through them many other sorts of knowledge are required. The study of drawing is also extremely useful for our boys, because it makes them judges of the beauty of the human forms. It develops their aesthetic sense and makes them the lover of beauty.”

Besides, he considered music as an important component of education at this stage. It is essential for relaxation and providing necessary comfort to the tense conditions of human soul. It again necessary for the best utilization of leisure-use of music for intellectual enjoyment in leisure and making of good character.

(iii) The Secondary Stage:

It lasts from 14 to 21 years. At this stage the mind of the youth should be prepared for receiving intellectual training which is necessary for a good citizen to live in the best polity. From to 17, the customary branches of education reading, writing, drawing, music, arithmetic and geometry should be studied with all care and seriousness.

From 17 to 21, the youths should be given military training. After the completion of this training they should be left to follow their vocations and to fashion their lives as good and noble citizens of the best state.

Aristotle, like Plato, supported state-controlled system of education. He, like Plato, insists at education should be one and the same for every citizen of the state.

In Book VII of his Polities’, he stated, “Since the whole city has one end, it is manifest that education should be one and the same for all, and that it should be public, and not private-not as at present, when ‘everyone looks after his own children separately, and gives them separate instruction of the sort which he thinks best; the training in things which are of common interest should be the same for all.”

Therefore, the ultimate function of state was pedagogic to make ideal citizens who would serve the state in a better manner. In fine, Aristotle wanted a system of uniform and compulsory public education in his best state.

Essay # 5. Evaluation of Aristotle’s Theory of Education:

His theory of education is sound as it aims at the harmonious development of personality. I educates all the three faculties-body, mind and soul.

Prof. W.A. Dunning in his master-piece ‘Political Theories-Ancient and Medieval’, (Vol. 1) writes, “It aims at mental culture rather than tactical utility, lays due stress upon the physical side of the training, and attaches to music a moral significance and a character-making influence that are quite incomprehensible to the modern mind.”

(i) Another notable part of his theory of education is that the role of right kind of stories, pictures and plays that shape the personality of children in an influencing manner.

(ii) Finally, he rightly believes that education should first be directed to the cultivation of the body, secondly to the control of appetites, i.e. character-training, and finally to the development of mind. This is highly appreciable to the modern educationists.

Notwithstanding of the merit of his theory of education, it is replete with defects.

(i) His scheme of education ends very abruptly and even at the age of 21 the youth is not very much intellectually developed. Thus, it is incomplete and inadequate for the purpose of ideal citizenship and intellectual development in an Ideal State.

(ii) Another demerit of his theory is that his education is meant only for the citizen body of the state. In stipulating such a condition he is guilty of creating a gulf between the citizen and non-citizen bodies in his best state.

In-spite of some defects, his concept of education is still recognised as the best one as it brings happiness among the ideal citizens in the state and it helps in the formation of character by instilling “virtues” in the children.

All the educationist in the firmament of globe have been laid prime importance on character-building as the sole aim of education. Further, modern democratic education is highly indebted to Aristotle, for it emphasises cultivation of citizenship qualities in the tender minds of children for ensuring an ideal state.